Nature Study in Your Own Backyard

Quadrat Study

Before you begin, hypothesize what you think you will find in your square once you do your observations. Record your ideas on one side of a sheet of paper or in your nature journal.

How to Conduct Your Study
1. Choose a square foot area outdoors.
2. Mark the square with yarn or a coat hanger bent into a square. To make it more scientific, randomly throw the bent coat hanger square into the yard and see where it lands.
3. Now the fun part! Get down on your knees and carefully observe every thing in your square. You may find ants, leaves, grass, weeds, spiders, worms, seeds, rocks, sand, etc.
4. Record on your sheet of paper exactly what you found. Make a tally if you find more than one of an item.
5. Compare your results to your hypothesis.

Gather yarn, scissors, ruler, and four rocks.
Optional: small garden trowel and magnifying lens

Measure off one square somewhere out in your yard or near-by park. (I prefer to do this somewhere I can dig up a few inches of soil and not get into trouble.) Use your ruler to place rocks in a one foot square plot. Use the yarn to mark off the edges of your square. If you are completing this challenge with younger children, you might consider making a two foot square plot to investigate to make it easier. Each child could have their own square if you wish.

Now the challenge comes in. See how many different things you can find in your square. If there are leaves, lift them up and see what is underneath. If there are rocks or gravel, scrape them aside and see what is underneath. If there is grass or weeds and you have permission, use your trowel to dig up a few inches under the grass, moving it carefully to the side to replace when you are done observing. Use your hand lens if you have one along with you on your challenge.

First thing is to choose a section of your yard that you can designate as your "wild side". We chose the side of our house where the neighbors won't see too much or care that the weeds are going to get a little taller.

Let the grass and weeds grow for a period of time. Periodically check the area for living creatures like spiders, worms, and ants.

We brought in some big pieces of granite as accents to our yard and this gave us the perfect spot to watch moss and lichen grow.

It also gives lizards a place to hide and children love to explore under rocks looking for spiders, worms, and snails.